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Ajax surprisingly signs Sparta's Nourdin Boukhari

23 July: Even to the best informed of Ajax fans, today's news came completely out of nowhere. One day after Victor Sikora's presentation at the Amsterdam ArenA, Ajax unexpectedly announced the signing of 22 year old Sparta Rotterdam forward Nourdin Boukhari. He signed a four year contract with Ajax today.

A tremendously surprising transfer, which comes at exactly the right moment for the club from Rotterdam-West. Sparta got relegated last season and immediately found itself in apparently fatal financial trouble. This week, the club was due before the KNVB 'licence committee', to fight for its professional status. The as-yet-unrevealed transfer fee for Boukhari may well save the Rotterdam club, the oldest in Dutch football; Sparta was founded in 1888.

Nourdin Boukhari, of 30 June 1980, is of Moroccan origin, but was born and raised in the Sparta neighborhoods of Rotterdam. He has both a Moroccan and a Dutch passport and is regarded as one of the greatest talents from Sparta's prestigious youth academy. Boukhari has become a regular in the Moroccan national team.

He started playing football at Rotterdam amateur sides Neptunus and HOV, before joining Spata's youth system. He made his debut in the 'Castle' club's first team on 09 February 2000. He has since played 76 league games for Sparta, in which he scored 13 goals.

The left-footer wore the number 10 jersey last season and, in the games against Ajax, seemed to be a lonely and misunderstood artist in a paralyzed team, fighting for survival. After Sparta's relegation, Boukhari's departure from Rotterdam was inevitable, but he was never linked with Ajax. The player is known for his creative talents and can play as a 'number ten', as a striker or as a winger. He still had a one season's contract with Sparta.

It comes as a surprise that Ajax can even afford this transfer. In recent weeks, Ajax repeatedly indicated that 4.5 million euros (the fee eventually paid for Victor Sikora) was everything it had to spend. However, national newspaper De Telegraaf recently announced as yet unconfirmed interest for Richard Knopper (from Aris Saloniki, Greece) and Nikos Machlas (from Tottenham Hotspur, England). (MP)

(Sources: Ajax.nl, NOS Teletekst)